Quick Help: Citing sources that don't match any model exactly (MLA)

Quick Help: Citing sources that don’t match any model exactly

What should you do if your source doesn’t match the model exactly? Suppose, for instance, that your source is a translated essay that appears in the fifth edition of an anthology.

  • Identify a basic model to follow. If you decide that your source looks most like an essay in an anthology, you would start with a citation that looks like model 10. Include the author (if given) and title.
  • Enter as many of the elements of the “container” as you can find: title of the larger container, if any; other contributors, such as editor or translator; version or edition number; publisher; date; page numbers or other location information such as a URL or DOI. End the container with a period. If the container is nested in a larger container, collect the information from the second container as well.
  • If you aren’t sure how to arrange the pieces to create a combination model, ask your instructor.

To cite a source for which you cannot find a model, collect as much information as you can find with the goal of helping your readers find the source for themselves, if possible. Then look at the models in this section to see which one most closely matches the type of source you are using. If possible, seek your instructor’s advice to find the best model.